Photo Gear Decisions

I had a hard decision to make recently. With my daughter set to arrive in about 7 weeks, I needed to add something to my photo gear to help me be prepared. I know… you don’t NEED photography equipment to be prepared. But I wanted to get something to that will help get the shots that I wanted to get.

I had two items that I had been watching: Canon’s 85mm f/1.8 lens and a Canon Speedlite 430EX II Flash. My dilemma was that I only had enough money for one of these. I knew the decision had was going to come down to what would help me the most in getting baby photos. Here’s the debate that went on in my head.

The Debate

Canon 85mm f/1.8: This would be an awesome lens to get close ups with my newborn. I could just imagine the shots with just her little feet in focus or her face as she sleeps in her crib. The possibilities for getting close and framing shots would be awesome! Also, my main lens right now is a Sigma 30mm f/1.4. It’s awesome, but it doesn’t quite get close as I want. With that in mind, I decided the 85mm focal length would compliment my Sigma lens better than Canon 50mm f/1.4.

Canon Speedlite 430ex II: First of all, I don’t have a flash. The built-in flash on the Rebel T2i is worthless in my opinion. It’s way to harsh and I’ve never liked a single photo I’ve taken with it. Some people may have better luck, but it just doesn’t do it for me. The 430ex II would provide a lot more options when shooting indoors or at night. There is only so much you can do when shooting indoors, even at an aperture of f/1.8.

The Decision

First off, I always check for things used first. Neither of the items used were available locally (I was secretly hoping that I could get both). After that, I had to come to terms with the limitations of both.

Limitations: The 85mm lens has a wide aperture, but I would have to jump the ISO to 1600 for some indoor shots, especially during the winter months. Also, 85mm is the equivalent of 136mm on a full frame camera. This means that it’s likely that I’ll have to stand back quite a bit which might not be ideal for indoor shots. Now the flash: The flash is just a flash. I’ve never used one. It’ll take a bit for me to learn how to best use it.

Benefits: The benefits were a little easier. The 85mm lens would be a fast, sharp lens that would be a great addition. It gives me a focal distance I don’t have. I could take some killer portraits with it. The flash would allow me to shoot well exposed photos in any lighting situation. Also, I could start to learn off camera & studio lighting techniques.

As a father-to-be, I had to decide on the flash. Shooting well exposed photos of my child in all lighting situations trumps good looking portraits in only some situations.

So… my flash should arrive tomorrow! As I start to get the hang of using a flash, I’ll let you know what I learn.